– Zone Underdeveloped Despite Producing Successive Governors
Orluzurumee Youth Assembly, the apex socio-cultural body of youths in Orlu zone, has decried the deplorable state of infrastructure at the Imo State Teaching Hospital (IMSUTH), and School of Nursing, Okporo also in Orlu Local Government Area, despite the fact that Orlu zone has consistently produced Governors that have presided over the affairs of Imo State for a total of almost 20 years.
The group stated this through their National President, Comrade Thaddeus Emejuru shortly after a meeting held at their secretariat, No 14 Tijani Street, Orlu.
Emejuru, expressed regret that despite , ‘’Governor Achike Udenwa who hails from Amaifeke, Orlu held sway for 8 years. Rochas Okorocha, an indigene of Ideato South, also in Orlu zone was Governor for 8 years before Hope Uzodinma who has been in office for almost 4 years making it a total of 20 years,there is nothing much to show for their successive tenures compared to what is obtainable in other areas where their children became Governors.
“It is grossly annoying that IMSUTH which is one of the few legacies that Achike Undenwa left in Orlu has been abandoned to rot away by successive administration presided over by Governors from Orlu zone’’.
Continuing, Emejuru said, ‘’much as we commend Governor Uzodinma for rehabilitating the Orlu-Owerri road, the same way he did on the Owerri-Okigwe road and the Owerri-Umuahia road that is ongoing, what we saw during our recent visit to the IMSUTH, leaves a sour taste in the mouth. The hospital which was built and equipped with sophisticated world class equipments has become a shadow of its self, to the extent that most of the courses that ought to be at the Orlu campus are still at Owerri, unlike what is obtainable at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) where all the medical students are at the Enugu campus’’.
‘’The same thing is applicable to the School of Nursing, Okporo where our visit also showed that the school lacks a lot of necessary amenities’’.
On the issue of road network, the group expressed dismay that nothing tangible has been done on the link roads despite series of reports from different quarters.
They commended the Governor for recovering Eastern Palm University now called Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University from former Governor Rochas Okorocha.
The group called on Governor Uzodinma to learn from the past mistakes of his predecessor, Rochas Okorocha, which according to them has confined him to where he is today in the estimation of Imo people and posterity .
‘’It is on record that Okorocha, regrettably did not site any project in Orlu, neither was there good roads in the whole of Ideato where he comes from for the whole 8 years that he was in office.
‘’As part of our efforts to get Orlu zone back on track, we have scheduled visits to leaders, stakeholders security chiefs and media houses in Orlu zone.
“This has become very imperative because, we can no longer keep quiet and watch, while the situation continues to deteriorate. We are willing to partner with well meaning groups and organizations to put an end to the alarming insecurity and infrastructural decay in Orlu zone’’, Emejuru said.
